Sugar Industry Implements c. 1938

Ray Price made this drawing of sugar industry implements, and right away I start thinking about touch, and rust, and work. Look at the subtle washes, the browns and grays, how they describe the textures of well-used metal and wood. I wonder if Ray Price held these tools, felt their weight and history? Or if he found them in a book. I bet that he was thinking about the labor embedded in each object, the hands that wielded them, the sweat and skill required to harvest sugar. There's such care taken to depict the tools, their worn surfaces and functional shapes. It’s like he’s paying homage to the workers, turning the tools into monuments. Thinking about Ray Price and all of the artists who look at ordinary objects with an extraordinary eye, reminds me that art’s just a long conversation across generations, each artist adding their voice to the chorus.